The worrying mind in control: An investigation of adaptive working memory training and cognitive bias modification in worry-prone individuals. (April 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Grol, Maud; Schwenzfeier, Anne K.; Stricker, Johannes; Booth, Charlotte; Temple-McCune, Alexander; Derakshan, Nazanin; Hirsch, Colette; Becker, Eni; Fox, Elaine
• Is Part Of: Behaviour research and therapy. Volume 103(2018)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 11
• Publication Date: 2018-04
• Subjects: Working memory training -- Cognitive bias modification -- Interpretation bias -- Attentional control -- Anxiety -- Worry; Cognitive therapy -- Periodicals; Psychotherapy -- Periodicals; 616.891
• DOI: 10.1016/j.brat.2018.01.005
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0005-7967

Abstract

Abstract: Worry refers to the experience of uncontrollable negative thoughts. Cognitive models suggest that the combination of negative information processing biases along with diminished attentional control contribute to worry. In the current study we investigate whether promoting a) adaptive interpretation bias and b) efficient deployment of attentional control would influence the tendency to worry. Worry-prone individuals ( n = 60) received either active cognitive bias modification for interpretation bias (CBM-I) combined with sham working memory training (WMT), adaptive WMT combined with sham CBM-I, or sham WMT combined with sham CBM-I. Neither of the active training conditions reduced worry during a breathing focus task relative to the control condition. However, when considering inter-individual differences in training-related improvements, we observed a relation between increases in positive interpretation bias and a decrease in negative intrusions. Moreover, increases in working memory performance were related to a reduction in reactivity of negative intrusions to a worry period. Our findings show that facilitating a more benign interpretation bias and improving working memory capacity can have beneficial effects in terms of worry, but also highlight that transfer related gains from existing training procedures can be dependent upon improvement levels on the training task. Highlights: We test if training benign interpretation bias and attentional control influence worry. The active training conditions did not reduce worry relative to a control condition. Increases in benign interpretation bias relate to a decrease in negative intrusions. Increased working memory relates to reduced reactivity of negative intrusions. Transfer related gains from training depend on improvement levels during training.